LOS ANGELES—Mayor Rob Ford spent the weekend in Hollywood singing Jimmy Kimmel’s praises. He left town complaining he had been “set up.”

Ford was roasted by the ABC late-night host in an unprecedented and embarrassing appearance on Monday night. Playing smiling assassin, Kimmel mocked and belittled the man he had picked up at the airport on Saturday night.

Ford had said he was making the appearance on Kimmel’s show to promote Toronto and its film industry. But he spent more time attempting to defend and explain himself than being an ambassador. While he did tell Kimmel that the city is “booming,” he spent most of the segment enduring Kimmel’s jibes, nervously attempting to turn the subject to his own self-professed accomplishments.

He also used his international platform to target perceived enemies back home — a decision that is sure to inflame the many domestic critics of his trip to California.

Early in the interview, Kimmel asked Ford a version of the question city councillors asked at city hall on Monday: “Why are you here? What good could come of this? Have you ever seen the show?”

For Ford, indeed, nothing good came of it.

Kimmel welcomes Rob Ford to the show and asks why he is dressed like a magician. "Why are you here. What good could come from this?" Kimmel asks.

Kimmel confronted the mayor with questions he has not wanted to answer at home, and even forced him to stand in front of a screen and respond in real time to videos of him behaving badly. Ford insisted that he is moving on from his scandal-plagued days — “You know what, the apologies are over” — but the appearance likely served only to remind voters of the humiliations the mayor is struggling to put behind him as he campaigns for re-election.

Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother, had told the Toronto Sun that Kimmel was too “classy” to bring up Ford’s crack use. He told the Sun after the show that the mayor was “a little upset” — as his brother, speaking in the background, complained of an ambush.

The mayor said nothing when Kimmel played the infamous video in which he rants about his desire to murder someone; he refused to tell Kimmel who he was talking about.

When Kimmel played the video of Ford miming drunk driving during a November city council meeting, Ford explained that “these councillors come across like they’re holier-than-thou” — and that one of them he did not name, opponent Paul Ainslie, had been given a drinking-and-driving warning. Ainslie’s licence was briefly suspended, but he was not charged; Ford himself has acknowledged drinking and driving.

Kimmel began the segment by reading out online comments from people who criticized him for having Ford on. One of them referred to “domestic abuse, drunk driving, racism, homophobia.” Ford, appearing nervous and red-faced, jokingly asked Kimmel if that was the whole list of grievances, then said, “I guess they don’t talk about all the money I’ve saved.” Asked directly if he is homophobic, he laughed and said no.

Kimmel joked that he was dismayed last week when Ford dared police Chief Blair to arrest him — “No! Don’t arrest him!” — and he asked Ford if he is being wise in publicly challenging the police chief. Ford then repeated his scathing criticism of Blair and the ongoing police investigation into his activities.

Kimmel spents a segment comparing the Mayor of Los Angeles to Rob Ford and then dabs him as Ford begins to sweat. He then asks why Ford would dare the police chief to arrest him.

“They follow me around for five months and came up empty-handed. I just want him to come clean with the taxpayers,” Ford said.

He called again for Blair to release the video that appears to show him smoking crack cocaine. Kimmel appeared bewildered by Ford’s suggestion that this would benefit him.

Kimmel asks Ford about his workout routine and then shows a video of Ford being hit in the face by a camera. "That's the moment I became obsessed with you." Ford complains about the media being camped outside his office. Kimmel then shows a series of videos of Ford in Toronto.

Ford said: “So you spend millions of dollars following me around about a video and then you don’t show it?”

Ford also griped about Toronto reporters who “camp” outside his office. At the end of the segment, Kimmel suggested that Ford “might want to think about” seeking help “if” he is an alcoholic. As he has in Toronto, Ford brushed off the suggestion — “I wasn’t elected to be perfect,” he responded.

Kimmel told Ford that accepting help would set “a good example for other people who might be in a similar situation.” The audience applauded; Ford stuck to his practised lines: “Talk is cheap, action speaks louder than words. We’ll let the people decide on October 27.”

Kimmel professed glee at Ford’s presence. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this night my whole life,” he said in his opening monologue. He added: “I don’t think I’ve had this many questions since the series finale of
Lost.
”

Speaking quickly, Ford spoke of his achievements as if he was addressing a Toronto audience — repeating his dubious claim of having saved “$1 billion,” for example.

He wore a black suit with a bright red tie and pocket square. Kimmel asked him why he was “dressed like a magician” and suggested he might have worn a better tie if he had more gay friends. Even Gonzo the Muppet, also a guest on the show, made a Ford joke.

The appearance capped an unusual Los Angeles trip Ford insisted was intended to benefit the “Hollywood North” film industry but seemed to be more about himself. There was no official itinerary, and Toronto film-promotion leaders were not involved. Ford spent much of Sunday walking the streets of Hollywood and most of his pre-Kimmel time on Monday without disclosing his whereabouts. He surfaced around 2:30 p.m. at Los Angeles city hall, where two members of council said he made brief unscheduled visits to their offices.

Ford talks about the mayoral race in Toronto and Kimmel asks if he can be a guest on Ford's YouTube show
.
"I have a proven track record of success," Ford says. "I love Toronto, Toronto is a fantastic place." Kimmel gently urges Ford to get help in case he needs it. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," Kimmel says. Ford says he's just a "normal, average, hardworking politician."

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